100 WATER HEROES: VEDANT GOEL & YUSUF SONI

Founders of Ineedsai

Vedant Goel and Yusuf Soni are IT professionals and entrepreneurs from Pune, who met at university and have been doing impactful conservation work ever since. In 2012, they collaborated to launch Ineedsai, a social organisation that “aim[s] to teach the young minds about the importance of water and sustainable use of resources.”

In addition to providing education to youth who are unable to afford it, Ineedsai has also led blood drives and traffic awareness programmes. Regarding environmental conservation projects, Vedant and Yusuf stress the importance of educating young people on the necessity of sustainable living:

Water is one of the most essential necessities of life and yet, it is becoming an increasingly scarce resource, one that needs careful planning and management. We must learn to value every drop, even if we are not directly affected by the water shortage. The state of things inspired my friend, Yusuf Soni, and I to do something about it, and who better to start with than school children? After all, they are the future keepers of our natural resources. (Goel in Youth Ki Awaaz, 2016)

Vedant and Yusuf travel to schools throughout Maharashtra to educate students on water conservation. One of their initiatives saw over 10 000 students and teachers from various schools using the leftover water from their water bottles to water plants on their campus. Collecting water at the end of the day may seem simple, but it is important in that it “will not only provide an alternate way for water conservation but also help kids understand the concept of sustainable development and use of alternatives” (Sarma, 2016)

Vedant and Yusuf have also been recognised in the respected Limca Book of Records, for having gathered 5011 children to participate in My Teeth – Better Teeth, Better Health, a campaign focused on educating young people about dental hygiene.

Vedant and Yusuf are our #100WaterHeroes for recognising the importance of educating young people on water conservation and sustainable living.

Vedant Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/vedantgoel